Statement of the Congress of South African Students 19th National Executive Committee on schools reopening on next week the 1st April 2020.

Att: Department of Education, Minister Angie Motshekga (MP), the media, South African pre-tertiary learners and the general public.

Sub: COSAS clarification of Minister Motshekga’s Announcement.

Allow the 19th National Executive Committee of COSAS to send its revolutionary grievances in this period where South Africa and the world is faced with a life-threatening epidemic.

Corona Virus, as also scientifically known as Covid-19, has been declared as a deadly virus by the World Health Organisation (WHO). On the 5th of March 2020, South Africa recorded its first Covid-19 case where a man who had travelled to the UK tested positive to the virus, and since that day, more than 1187 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the country and we regret to report that this virus has also claimed two lives since the outbreak, the number of cases and deaths are likely to increase.

With efforts to curb a spiral spread of the virus in the country, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa declared a national lockdown for a period of 21 days, which was effective from the 26th of March 2020. This is an announcement and decision we so well acknowledge, support and adhere to because we feel and know that with an exercise of this calibre, we will minimize the spread of the virus from what it could escalate to.

We believe that, out of the 57 million South African citizens, 11 million are learners at pre-tertiary institutions of learning. Our learners, as part of the initiative of making South Africa a better and healthy country again, are heeding to the call.

We would like to clarify the announcement recently made by the Department of Education that schools are due to open on the 1st of April 2020. The Minister of Basic Education made a mistake here. The department is still unsure of a date on which schools will be reopening.

We like to appeal to our constituency, particularly the class of 2020 to use these 21 days to study and not treat it as a holiday because “time wasted is time not regained”.

The department of education has partnered with stakeholders to ensure that self-learning is made easy for all grades. We would like our constituency to visit the following links and TV programs while doing self-study.

About COSAS

Since 1979. COSAS has remained an organization of young intellectual student activists who are visionary, revolutionary, and are driven to impact and influence the educational and economical system of their time.